Wherein a thirtysomething girl named Melissa Bastian finally stops avoiding the subject of fibromyalgia, and tries to talk about it productively instead.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Back to work OMG.

So, I started back to work on Monday. And it's been freakin' insane. I still have 70 emails in my inbox that I haven't gotten to look at, because all day long for the past three days all I've done (for nine hours each of those days, mind you) is put out the immediate fires. It's completely exhausting. But the surprising part is, it's alright.

I was extremely nervous about going back - to the extent that on Sunday night I had a few little breakouts of hives. But there doesn't seem to be any resentment that I took the time. Everyone just seems thrilled to have me back... and more than happy to pile on the work.

I had planned to only work a standard workday, which at my firm is a typical 9 to 5 minus an hour lunch. But a couple of hours into Monday it was obvious that that wasn't going to work. So I'm not jumping back into my ten to eleven hours, but I am capping it at nine. So far I haven't had to butt heads about it, thankfully. Stress-inducingly enough, there's a small chance that one of my cases might go to trial next week. Keep your fingers crossed that everyone settles - I do *not* have it in me to keep a trial schedule right now.

So yeah, I'm totally exhausted. Monday and today involved evening napping. But the part I'm excited about is that I'm getting through the days, and I feel alright! I don't feel fabulous or anything, but it also doesn't feel like I'm pushing on the verge of breaking, like it did before I took the break. I'm hoping that maybe tomorrow or Friday can be semi-normal, instead of an endless stream of emergencies. That's probably just a pipe dream, but you can't keep a girl from wishing. Either way, a three day weekend waits at the other end, and I'm through the better part of my first week back to work.

About Me

vegan in new orleans, hurrah. i was born in a storm, and raised in one too. and then one named katrina changed my life. i have a hard time saying where i'm from, but i can tell you for sure that my heart and my home are in new orleans, the place where i wasn't born. i left there after nine years not knowing what i had - what's that old cliche? now i've returned with a better appreciation. in the interim, i spent 5.5 years in nyc riding the subway and taking pictures. i get by with a husband who loves to drive me crazy, four rescued rabbits, and one rescued monster who thinks himself a cat.